Leaves on the Wind
by Galadiel
Summary: After the Battle of Five Armies Legolas sets off to search for the Strider. Little does he know that his lifelong friend will follow him even into this darkness.
1. First Gust of Wind

"You cannot go with me. You know you need rest."

Legolas came to a halt, closing his eyes. Why was it so difficult to him? After all, had he not known that she would follow him, no matter where he went? She was very much like him – in the past, he had done exactly the same thing for her. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his father was the one to bring her up after her parents had left. Maybe this kind of loyalty was something passed on in this bloodline, and despite her not being the king's daughter, she had somehow inherited this trait from her guardian.

Although he had told her to leave, there she stood: motionless and proud, fierceness shining in her green eyes. Legolas had always liked their hue, it made her look like she was a part of the forest. Of Greenwood. That was where she belonged... and he did not think he would be coming back. That was why she could not go.

Because although she was now badly hurt, it would not be the first time when she had set off in such a state. Yes, he was worried about her health, but it had never stopped her from going. And he was not the one to stop her, either. This reason was much more important. Tauriel was still young and right now, she was a great officer of the wooden elves; this was who she was supposed to be. She was not to be banished from the kingdom forever, even though he had chosen such a fate for himself.

One day she might become a queen herself. After all, Thranduil had no other heir but him and now, as he had chosen to leave and search for the Strider, he had none. Tauriel was the one he had always favoured the most and who had always done all she could to make him proud of her. She deserved this title more than anyone else.

"Who do you think I am to let you go by yourself?" she asked, a mysterious smirk playing upon her lips. Legolas could not help but smile himself. Although hurt, she had not lost herself in the battle. Even though she had lost so much more.

He closed his eyes thinking of the battle that had just ended. The dead elves on the ground... the deceased dwarves all around... and amongst them, there was the one who had somehow managed to steal the young elf's heart... something he had never managed to achieve, no matter how hard he had tried. He had seen how she had been looking at the dwarf... what she had done for him... had she not risked being banished just to save him from his fate? And what for? Now, he lay buried in the ground in the depths of the Lonely Mountain...

Those memories were something that pushed him towards this decision. He could not look her in the eye; he did not want to see her cry.

"This is not your fate, Tauriel," he whispered, glancing up at her. His voice, though, did not scare her away. She did not look like she was to turn back now. She had made up her mind. "Go back to Lasgalen. My father has already forgiven you, and... and this is your home. This is where you should stay."

"I can't believe it's you who's saying this, Legolas," she replied, frowning slightly. Her green eyes met his icy-blue ones, even though he had tried to make her turn her face away. "You are not the one to leave his friends in need... and neither am I." Having taken a step forward, she adjusted the bow on her back and added, "I am going with you."

A part of the young prince's heart fluttered with happiness and relief. Hardly ever did he leave the kingdom on his own; usually they went everywhere together, and right now, the quest no longer seemed to be some kind of banishment. It was yet another journey with his lifelong friend; one of many. And yet, somehow he could not bear the thought of her leaving her safe home to go with him. This was not her fate.

"You don't even know where I'm going," he told her, shaking his head. "This journey is going to be long and hard, and I'm not even sure what it is I'm going to meet at the end of the path. Neither of us know what dangers are lurking in the dark."

"Have I ever faltered? Tell me, Legolas, have I ever stepped back afraid of the dangers?" Tauriel reached her hand out to the prince, knowing he would take it. And after a moment of hesitation, his fingers gently touched hers. "This is why I cannot let you go by yourself. How could I ever go home, knowing you are far away, facing so much evil and darkness that no elven heart could bear it? Your father will forgive me my disobedience this one more time, but I am not going back to Lasgalen."

A soft shadow rushed across Legolas' face, but finally, he smiled and helped Tauriel to get closer. She still limped after the battle but her body was already healing. And it was going to heal much sooner than her broken heart.

"You know we might not be going back home this time, right?"

Tauriel tightened her grip on his hand.

"I've never assumed we will be going back."


	2. Before the Nightfall

"If you're tired, we shall stop here and take some rest," Legolas frowned a bit, turning back to glance at his friend who had stayed a bit behind him. Once again, he noticed that she was limping and it looked like she lacked strength to move anywhere. Nevertheless, she did not seem to care much about it and followed him bravely, having not grimaced even once. That was one of the traits of hers that Legolas appreciated so much.

When the young elven prince came to a halt, the woman stopped as well, but only as soon as she had caught up with him. Then, she leant on his shoulder, regaining her balance. After a moment, a soft smile returned onto her face and once again Legolas could not help but observe an almost unnoticeable shadow in her eyes. Quite honestly, he was not sure what was the cause of it – it could be the death of the dwarf she loved...

...but maybe...

"No, we cannot stop here," answered Tauriel. "If we do, some orcs will find us, and there are to few of us to stop them from killing us. We need to find a shelter before the nightfall if we don't want to end up slayed."

She was right, and he knew it; however, somehow he did not like the idea of her walking any further, not in this state.

"You seem to be exhausted," he said softly, supporting her with his arm. There was so much gentleness in his eyes. Tauriel could remember him looking at her like that before, but right now, it was much softer than before.

Not responding to his words for now, the elven warrior looked to the side. She knew that Legolas had been jealous of Kili and the emotion that had bound the two of them and this jealousy had poisoned their relationship. After all, they had always been friends. Partners. Losing Legolas would be worse than losing a limb, and Tauriel could not let it happen. Now, though, after Kili's death, she wondered what was happening in her friend's mind. Did he still see a friend in her? Or was he still ready to stand up to his father who had once said that he would never let his son end up in a relationship with a mere wooden elf...?

The wound in her heart after losing the one she loved was still too new, and it still hurt way too much for her to allow Legolas to comfort her. Nevertheless, his presence alone was soothing; that was why she had decided to go with him.

"Should I carry you?" Legolas seemed to be worried about Tauriel's silence.

"I may be tired but I'm not a damsel in distress, my lord Legolas," she replied sharply. "I will not let you carry me."

A little smirk tugged on the corner of the young prince's lips. Of course she would not let him do that but he could not help but feel a bit amused by the way she replied to him. It reminded him of the good, old times when they could share every secret and be as free and careless as possible. Almost as if they were one person, just in two different bodies.

"Let us find some shelter. Whether you want it or not, you are exhausted and you need some rest. As your friend and captain, I cannot let you get anymore hurt," he decided and helped her climb onto one of the rocks.

Luckily for both of them, path behind the rock was less bumpy, and their route became much easier from now on. Legolas looked around. The forest, once beautiful and safe, had turned into something that scared even him. Him, the heir of these lands, a person who had grown up there. He had always thought he had known every little stone there, but it had changed since the evil had begun to regain its powers.

Before, he would not be afraid of staying just anywhere, but now, Tauriel was right. They needed to find a shelter if they wanted to be safe. He could not put her life at risk. As of late, the spiders had become more and more audacious, and they would not fear venturing deep into the forest, so far from Dol Guldur.

"Have you noticed something?" asked Tauriel, noticing Legolas' watchful gaze. Another light shadow rushed across his face, but then, he looked at his friend and shook his head.

"Nothing as of yet," he replied. "Though I cannot help the feeling that something is watching us."

"It would not be anything strange," Tauriel looked around and her hand rested on the handle of her dagger. "These days the whole forest is being watched... from everywhere. Strange creatures keep swarming in what was once a mainstay of all good."

"I know things have changed but it does not make me any calmer, on the contrary, I must think of every step we take... if it doesn't lead us straight into perdition."

Tauriel smiled.

"Since when have my lord Legolas become so pesimistic?" she asked. "Neither of us is afraid of fighting. If something attacks us, we will fight. And let me remind you that we have never lost any battle, being together."

Her words somehow eased the elf's mind and a smile returned onto his lips. Tauriel was much younger than him; there were times he could still remember when she had not been born yet. Dark times, full of fear and loss.

"I would rather avoid any fight as long as there's any other way out," he corrected himself. "We need lots of strength to reach our destination."

Tauriel's eyes seemed to darken a little as she looked away. The way ahead was still long and they could not be sure where exactly they were going. After all, they were supposed to look for a man that was famous of being able to disappear whenever he did not want to be found. He allowed others to find him only when he wanted it.

The same thought suddenly appeared in Legolas' mind, and he opened his mouth, fighting with himself.

"Listen, Tauriel," he spoke hesitantly, and she looked at him, frowning. "It is still not far, nothing is keeping you here if you –"

"No," she cut in. "I am not going back, Legolas. I promised you I will go with you, no matter where the path leads us. Even if meands we are never going back."

"Then let me lead you to Imladris!" he insisted. "Lord Elrond will help you heal. There is no-one like him..."

"_I am going with you_," she repeated. "Heading to Imladris means turning back. It could take us days, weeks, maybe even months. And while such a time is but a blink of an eye to us, the rest of Middleearth doesn't have this much time. It could be a matter of days, Legolas. The sooner we find him, the better."

Legolas sighed but did not reply to those words. While he admired her devotion, he could not help but worry about her well-being. He would not bear losing her; he had already lost too many of those he had loved. He did not want to lose her now.

"There's a little cavern nearby," he said after a longer while of silence, broken only by quiet chirps of few birds above their heads. "Let us stay there until the morning.

Tauriel nodded, not wanting to fight anymore, though she was very tempted to tell him she was not weary enough to really long for a rest. Like any elf, she liked walking in the night. Nevertheless, she was well aware of the fact that the night was also the time of the most dangerous of creatures. Neither of them wanted to meet them so soon on their way.

The cavern turned out to be empty and they could rest there for a while. After they had had a bite of lembas and some water, Legolas stood up. The woman looked at him, surprised.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Your wounds," he answered simply. "We should tend to them before it's too late. There must be some herbs around, so you just stay here, and I will be back in a moment."

He did not look at her, saying that. Without even one glance back, he stepped out of the cavern, leaving Tauriel alone.


	3. Poison

There had been only one time when Legolas had ever been that cold towards her. Back then, though, Tauriel had known the reason; after all, his father had betrayed the secret that the young prince had grown fond of her... and there had been someone else Tauriel had liked. Right now, she could not understand why he would be so brusque towards her.

Trying not to think too much of it, she leant back against the wall of the cavern and closed her eyes. Her body was still terribly sore after the battle, no matter how much she tried to pretend she was alright. Nevertheless, she could not bear the thought of Legolas getting to know that she was hurt. He would never let her follow him, and either would she be forced to turn back, or he would make her stay in Rivendell.

Slowly, she unfastened the ties of her blouse. Even for an experienced warrior encounter with the chief orc was nothing easy. She, however, had hoped that he would pull her into the same darkness she had sent him to. To her despair, not only had she not died but also, as she had learnt later on, it had been Legolas who had killed Bolg, not her.

In fact, she had also heard that it had been but a miracle that she was still alive; and yet, somehow she could not feel any happiness because of it.

Only the sole thought that Legolas needed her kept her alive, and it was the only reason why she was still able to breathe in and breathe out. On the other hand, though, she could not help but feel that it was a kind of betrayal. Her constant company could make him think she would ever let him be anything but a friend; and yet, she could not force herself to leave. Thus her behaviour seemed to be nothing but selfish.

Then how, in the earth, could she even wonder why he had been cold towards her?

A small grimace appeared on her face when she glanced at the bruises and cuts on her body. Some of the wounds had begun to bleed during their journey, so it was the best moment to stop it so Legolas would not discover this secret of hers. Even when he was back, she would not let him tend to her wounds, otherwise he would realise how bad was the state she was in.

Having finished, Tauriel quickly fastened up her clothing and stood up. Legolas had been gone for way too long and it was enough to make her worry. However, she could not hear any sounds of a battle, and she was not sure whether it was a good or bad omen.

Not thinking much, she grabbed her bow and rushed outside to look for her friend.

The darkness inside the forest was now even thicker than before; apparently the sun had already set and the night had come, waking strange creatures dwelling in the woods. Legolas was nowhere to be seen. Tauriel took a deep breath and looked around, listening carefully, hoping to sense any motion. However, she heard nothing.

Since elves weigh almost nothing, it was hard to find any trace of Legolas, so she needed to take that risk and simply make a choice.

There was no point in calling his name; after all, her voice could alarm the monsters living in the wilderness and it would put both her and the young prince in danger. Her hands were surprisingly calm and stable as she reached for the arrow. It was better to be ready for any attack. Elves were quick but sometimes they turned out to be too slow for the danger coming out of nowhere.

Something moved behind her. Without thinking much, she turned back, ready to shoot, but that was when she noticed she was aiming right at Legolas' face. He seemed to be surprised, but smiled.

"I would have never thought that you would be the one to shoot me, Tauriel," he said, putting his hand on her bow, coaxing her to lower it.

Tauriel breathed out and closed her eyes.

"I thought the spiders had found you," she explained. "You were gone for so long... what kept you there?"

Legolas frowned and turned back, glancing at the path that had led him there.

"I needed to make sure we are safe here," he explained.

"We can never be safe in a place like this," noticed Tauriel. Now, seeing that Legolas was safe and sound, her good mood returned.

"No, you're right," answered Legolas. "But I was sure I could see the webs on our way here... and I needed to check it. And, unfortunately, I was not wrong. No matter how much I hate it, they are there... webs and spiders... and there were also some signs that even orcs had had enough courage to plunge so deep into the forest..."

Tauriel bit her bottom lip, then hid the arrow into the quiver. She was ready to fight the spiders, but the news about orcs being there made her feel strangely uneasy. Never had she liked orcs, but now, after one of them had killed Kili, she felt she needed to take her revenge. Until now, never had she felt such bad emotions.

"You are trembling... come, let's go back to the cavern. I found athelas, so I will be able to tend to your wounds."

Without any response, Tauriel followed Legolas. Her mind, though, was still busy, and at some point she glanced back over her shoulder, imagining that the chief orc was following them. As if he had not died on the Ravenhill...

"Tauriel?"

Legolas' voice came as if from afar, and she had to force herself to turn towards him once again. Until now, she had not noticed that her hands were clenched on the bow, so hard that her knuckles whitened.

"I'm fine. Let's go," she replied, but Legolas could say that she did not sound like herself.

Not daring ask what she had seen in the forest, he only glanced in that direction, just to check if there was anything they should be afraid of, then put his hand on the small of her back and led her forwards.

Once they were safe in the small cavern, they sat down and Legolas began preparing athelas. Tauriel was strangely stiff, staring at some indeterminate spot in front of her. After a longer while, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I miss the times when you would tell me all of your worries, _mellon nin_," spoke Legolas, his voice gentle and quiet.

"Yet those times are long gone." Tauriel's voice, though as low as his, sounded anxious. "Times have changed, Legolas, and so have we. There are things... things we should not be talking about to each other."

"Back then, in the forest... you've seen something, haven't you? Something... or someone?"

"Let's not talk about it," she shifted a bit, turning her face away from him and wrapping her arms around herself. It was obvious that it was one of the secrets she wanted to keep to herself. Nevertheless, at the same time she wished she had someone she could share it with. Legolas, though, could not be this person.

"I am worried about you. You have been my friend since I remember. On the Ravenhill you have changed... Things you've seen and experienced..."

"I wish I hadn't had the chance to experience them." Her voice became sharp once again, and tears glistened in her eyes, though she did not let Legolas notice them. On the other hand, he could easily hear them in the sound of her voice. "The events of the battle have changed all of us. You aren't unchanged, either, Legolas. But we still need time –"

"Time will not make it any easier, Tauriel!" Legolas stood up. "You may believe it or not, but keeping this pain all to yourself will poison you."

"I have been poisoned enough. This one drop will change nothing."

Legolas let out a sigh, approaching Tauriel. Slowly he sat down and touched her hand.

"Then I will suck this poison out of your wounds. It can kill both of us, but I will not lose you, Tauriel."


	4. Facing the Mountains

The next several days were difficult. Tauriel wished she had said less back then, in the cavern. Or maybe more? Had she had enough courage to solve the problem at that moment, it would be so much easier now. However, instead of continuing the conversation, she had pretended to be too tired to talk any longer; moreover, she had not let Legolas treat her wounds, reassuring him that she had done it already.

Since then, Legolas had not said even one word. He had not been cold towards her; nevertheless, it looked like he had abandoned the thought of being able to help his friend. As long as she did not desire his help, it would be simply pointless.

They had already left the woods and headed towards the mountains which loomed on the horizon. For some reason, they looked strangely mysterious and dangerous at the same time, even though both of the elves realised that the world on the west was probably way safer than Mirkwood. Those were strange lands to them, though; neither of them had actually gone that far by now. That was one of the reasons why they needed each other.

"There are goblins in these mountains," spoke Legolas, breaking the silence for the first time. "Lots of them. We need to be careful."

Tauriel turned her head to look at him. To be honest, she liked his profile, and although she would never admit it even to herself, many, many years before she had been in love with him. It was an affair that could never happen, though, since she knew his father would never agree to it. Besides, she was completely sure Legolas was definitely not interested in her. They were friends. Partners. Not lovers.

And yet, in his head she was a perfect candidate for an heir's wife. The queens of the Eldar were never delicate; while their faultless beauty could be deceiving, they had to know how to fight if they wanted to survive. And Tauriel... she had it all. Beauty, good heart, courage, will to live. And she was herself only with him; never had he felt this comfortable with anyone else. The longer he lived, the less he wanted anyone but Tauriel by his side.

But that was when she had met Kili. A dwarf! No wonder he had felt jealous; what elf would put a dwarf over a prince?

However cruel it could sound, Legolas realised that the fact that Kili had desired her as well had made him want her even more. At the same time his interest in her had been growing so strong that at some point it had become painful, and her interest in him had been slowly fading away. Yet he did not want to think that it was meant to be.

"Do not worry," replied Tauriel, trying not to smile. It worked better than she had expected; not even a shadow of a smile appeared on her face. "I do know how to fight with them." After a moment, she added, "I can even protect you."

For a while, Legolas thought that she was being serious; only when she allowed a smile to blossom on her lips did he realise it was nothing but a joke. It had been a long time since Tauriel had actually allowed herself to joke in his company, and he began feeling that his attempts to make her open up to him finally worked.

"I truly do hope it turns out to be unnecessary," he spoke with a chuckle. "Though it might surprise you, despite the fact I am a prince, I can fight."

Now, even Tauriel allowed herself to smile. At the same time, though, she felt a strange weight in her chest. It was as if she was betraying someone; she just was not sure whether she was betraying the memory of Kili, or Legolas, giving him fake hope for something he could never have. Because even if he managed to regain her affection, his father was still against this relationship, and it could never happen. Not without harming Legolas.

"Do you feel better now?" The prince mustered enough courage to ask the question he had been itching to ask for a couple of days. "I have packed the herbs in case something happened... but it seems you are no longer limping."

While she appreciated Legolas' concern, Tauriel could not help but feel at least disturbed by his question. It was still way too soon to talk about her health. And while she realised that the sooner she admitted she was not fine, the better for her, she did not want to appear as weak in his eyes.

"Legolas..." she started, but he stopped her with a short gesture of his hand.

"If you want to lie and tell me you are alright, don't," he demanded, but soon regretted the sharp tone of his voice. Sighing, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, forgive me. Yet I cannot help but feel worried about you..."

"You don't need to," she reassured him, feeling awful since she knew she was lying to him. And what for? Just to pretend she was stronger than she really was? Was it truly worth losing a friend? Was this price not too high?

The prince's hand found Tauriel's fingers and he intertwined them. To his surprise, she did not take her hand away, even though he could feel her tensing up. Nevertheless, she remained just as speechless as before.

"Stop pretending, Tauriel," he whispered. She should be used to his soft tone, however, it was probably the first time she could hear it being _this_ soft. "If you did not want me to be by your side when you are in this state, you wouldn't have followed me."

It was embarrassing to realise he was probably right. No-one had forced her to join him; it had been her own choice. Moreover, he had been asking her several times to turn back, and she had refused so fiercely. Yes, she needed him exactly at this moment, when she was hurt and vulnerable, and weaker than ever.

Because if she could not be weak with him, there was no-one she could show this side of herself. Legolas was someone she could trust wholeheartedly; never would he hurt him. He would even sacrifice his own well-being if need be.

"Tauriel," he spoke again, and this name sounded like a caress.

"I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone else," she answered after a moment, not wanting him to say anything else. While the tone of his voice was so pleasant, she was afraid of it getting too far. "This is why I need you right now. Yet even though I do need you, I could never allow you to think I am weaker than I really am."

"You underestimate me," he protested, shaking his head. "I know you perfectly well, Tauriel, and I am aware of what you are capable of. I would even dare say I know how strong you are much better than you know it."

His thumb gently caressed her knuckles, but this time Tauriel pulled her hand out of his grasp; his hand remained hung in mid-air.

"We should go." The woman's voice trembled slightly as she spoke. After all he had said she was not able to look up into his eyes. However, she could feel some burning in her heart, one she could not really define.

"I do not wish to hurt you, Tauriel."

Those words managed to coax her to glance up and their eyes met. It had been way too long since she had actually looked right into his eyes, not trying to hide anything from him. His sight was almost painfully honest, too, she could feel it, and it filled her with shame. Legolas, even though she had been pushing him away for so long, remained true to her.

No, he did not want to hurt her, of that she could be sure. She doubted he would actually be able to hurt her, even not intentionally.

"Then why won't you just let it go?" she asked quietly. "Insisting you keep hurting both of us!" Her breath grew heavy and she took a step. Legolas did not approach her, however, he kept his eyes upon her face. "You long for nothing but a shadow of a person I used to be! You long for an image in your head that is no longer real!"

"You are mistaken, Tauriel!" Legolas' voice got tougher, and for the first time, Tauriel actually was scared of him. "I long for nothing that is fake or unreal. The one I long for is standing right here, in front of me, and she has been never more real than she is now."

Those words caught her speechless. Her eyes glistened with tears; she had not even noticed when they had appeared.

"Tauriel," repeated Legolas, reaching for her hand once more.

"Let me go!" she demanded, but this time, he did not allow her to move away so easily. Actually, he pulled her close, trapping her within his embrace, despite her countless protests. He was not going to give up this time.

"I have been letting you go way too many times. Not anymore," he replied only before pressing a kiss to her lips.


	5. Shadow of the Past

At first, Tauriel was too shocked to react at all; after a moment, though, she pushed Legolas away once again, and this time, he let go of her. His face betrayed that he was almost just as surprised as she was; his eyes were full of embarrassment as well. However, while she did her best not to look at him, he could not help but stare at her, admiring her features. Her cheeks were now slightly red, but it only made her look prettier.

That was not the best time for admiring, though, as they heard a noise. For now, this noise was coming from afar, nevertheless, they were pretty sure it would change soon enough as they recognised it perfectly.

"Orcs," Legolas grimaced, glancing away; as he looked around, he understood that the orcs were coming from the mountains. It was nothing strange. After all, it was one of their lairs, one of the most known ones. Still, it did not change the fact he had hoped they would not meet those creatures so early on their way.

While Legolas had never had any problems with fighting with orcs, it was not the best moment for that. There was only Tauriel with him, and it was obvious to him that she was not completely healthy yet. Besides, orcs always moved in packs, and even trying to escape them would be difficult as he was not sure how big this pack would be.

"They must not see us," he added, grabbing Tauriel's hand when he noticed that she was reaching for an arrow.

"They _will_ see us, if they haven't already," she replied, frowning. "Hiding won't help us now, we must get rid of as many as possible before they reach us."

Although he would rather not agree with her, he knew perfectly that she was right. Orcs moved fast after the dusk, and the sun had already set. Besides, one could not forget that although defiled, they had once been elves, and their eyesight was still much better than that of an average human.

"There are only two of us. Are you sure that –"

"I have never thought I'd live long enough to see my lord Legolas chicken out," answered Tauriel, letting out a small chuckle.

The smirk Legolas sent to her reminded her of the good old times, and she could not help but smile as well. Now, feeling him let go of her hand, she reached for an arrow once again and prepared to shoot. By her side, Legolas did exactly the same.

"You have a better aim, and I'm faster," he said. "Take down their commander first, and I'll take care of the rest."

There was no point in arguing; besides, Tauriel knew that Legolas was right. However, there was one thing that made her feel uneasy: she wondered why the orcs from Moria would move to the east. There were many possibilities but none of them managed to calm her down. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the best moment to shoot.

"Don't let them get to close," she heard Legolas' whisper close to her ear. "And avoid the arrows. The archers will be somewhere in the back."

It was nothing Tauriel would not be aware of; nevertheless, she realised that Legolas said that because he was worried about her, so she did not feel irriration but thankfulness. The fact he was by her side at such a moment calmed her down.

"Do not do anything silly," she replied to him in the same low tone. His response to that was a quiet chuckle only she could hear.

"Have I ever done such a thing?"

Smiling softly, she waited no more. It was the perfect moment to take one of them down. Recognising who the commander was was not difficult: it was always the biggest and the ugliest one. This one was particularly big and ugly, and for a moment, Tauriel felt some strange weight in her chest.

The one at the head of the pack was not just an orc. She would recognise those broad shoulders and armoured body anywhere. Although he was so far away, she could notice his mismatched eyes and a mocking sneer.

She faltered, feeling her arms go weak. The fact that the arrow did not fall down was nothing short of miraculous.

"Tauriel, what are you waiting for?" she heard Legolas' voice as if from afar. "Take him down!"

It was his arrow that finally hit the aim. The commander's eyes opened wide when the arrowhead sank deep into his neck. Once he fell down onto the ground, he was nothing but a grey mass in which Tauriel was not able to recognise anything nor anyone. Only then did she understand that it was not the very orc that had killed Kili...

The one that had killed Kili was long since dead. He would not hurt her anymore. He had died and laid buried under the stones at the Ravenhill.

"Tauriel!" Legolas called her name once again, this time bringing her back to reality.

Not answering to his call, she began shooting. This time, it terrified Legolas how merciless and fast she was. Soon, though, both of them ran out of the arrows and they had to reach for their swords. While he was not one who preferred fighting like that, he knew that Tauriel had always been good with her daggers.

Nevertheless, there were way too many of them, and two elves were not enough to get rid of such a throng of orcs. And he, Legolas, had a quest that needed to be fulfilled as soon as possible, because the fate of all Middle-earth depended on it. It was not his will to survive; rather the fact he knew it was his duty to do so.

This time, it was not necessary to tell Tauriel to attack the orcs. As soon as she realised that she had run out of arrows, she hung the bow over her shoulders and reached for the daggers she had attached to her belt.

Although Legolas smiled at first, seeing how enthusiastic she was, he then felt anxious. Something about her was not right. The blush upon her cheeks was not something he would ever be willing to see. The sparkles in her eyes were nothing healthy, either; he wondered if she did not try to hide her tears away from him.

It was not wise to let her go against all of the orcs by herself, so he soon joined her, reaching for the double blades he wore on his back. While he knew he could use Tauriel's behaviour as a distraction and simply get through unnoticed, he could not leave her there to be killed. She was his friend, and although proud like any elf, he was not heartless. Even when he was aware of the fact he could not stay there to fight.

Legolas was pretty glad that the orcs were so stupid. Yes, they knew how to fight, but they were predictable; at the same time, they could hardly predict what their opponent would do, therefore the young prince did not have problems fighting them. Nevertheless, there were way too many of them, and he and Tauriel would never be able to defeat all of them.

No matter how many times he called her name, she fought as if in a trance, her face wet from tears mixed with sweat. There was only one time he had ever seen her in such a state, and back then, she had almost died.

Having decided to ignore the orcs, he finally approached Tauriel. Their swords met as she had not seen him coming there and was ready to kill him as well.

"There are too many of them!" he told her, frowning. "We must get out!"

Tauriel, though, was not willing to agree.

"If you want to leave, go. I shall stay here," she told him, sinking the dagger in the chest of another orc. "I cannot fail again."

At that moment, they were parted by more of those foul creatures and each of them had to fight to stay alive; there was no time for talking, and in this turmoil of battle, Legolas lost the sight of Tauriel once again.

Out of sudden, they heard a great voice of one of the orcs. Although they could not understand what it was saying, the creatures began departing just as quickly as they came. Legolas frowned, watching them leave – it seemed they were expected somewhere and they had no time for fighting two little elves.

Not at once did he notice Tauriel laying on the grass. Although she was a great warrior, she had been outnumbered and finally someone knocked her down.

With a quiet sigh, he put the blades back into the sheaths on his back and leant down to pick Tauriel up. No matter how much she had been fighting against it, there was nothing else Legolas could do at this moment. With her being in this state, they needed to head to Imladris.


End file.
